Perth

Perth edges the Indian Ocean – with 19 pale, sandy beaches - framed around enormous Kings Park and carved by the s-bends of the Swan River. Western Australia’s capital is a dynamic city that balances its natural beauty with a lively after-dark scene.

Perth is safe, friendly, clean and easy to get around, whether you’re taking public transport, self-driving or jumping in a taxi or Uber. Most people fly in – the airport is only a 20-minute drive from the city centre - while some will cross the Nullarbor Plain, an epic desert journey along Australia’s base, achievable on wheels or aboard the Indian Pacific train.

The Western metropolis is the sunniest capital city in Australia, and its people are as bright as the blue skies overhead. Summer arts festivals collide with days on the water, walks in one of the largest inner-city parks, and half-hour drives to fringing wineries and bushland where you can see kangaroos and cockatoos. Rottnest Island, famous for its smiling quokkas and picture-perfect bays, is only a 30-minute ferry trip across the ocean.

Perth has a distinct clarity of light. The sun sparkles on the city waterfront at Elizabeth Quay, it illuminates the bridge leading to Optus Stadium – judged the most beautiful sports facility in the world at the 2019 Prix Versailles Architecture and Design Awards - warms the sand at Cottesloe Beach and reflects its amber hues in the ocean at sunset.

Perth’s character neighbourhoods deserve exploring. Northbridge’s small bars, street murals and micro boutiques are linked to the city’s core by Yagan Square, a bustling public thoroughfare, and the Perth Cultural Centre, itself home to the newly opened WA Museum, Boola Bardip and the Art Gallery of WA. Less than 10 minutes drive away, urban villages Leederville, Mt Lawley and Subiaco foster an eclectic mix of local restaurants, shops and bars.

There are an abundance of accommodation choices in Perth. The Ritz-Carlton, DoubleTree by Hilton, The Adnate - Art Series and COMO the Treasury, to name a few.